WASHINGTON — Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr said Sunday the agency is “looking at a lot of actions” aimed at broadcast networks’ partisan coverage and what he called “fake polls,” after President Trump threatened to report NBC News’s Kristen Welker to the FCC for rebuke or punishment.

Appearing on Fox News’s The Sunday Briefing with Peter Doocy on Sept. 6, 2026, Carr did not say whether a formal complaint against Welker had been filed. He argued broadcast TV differs from cable and other distribution because licensees receive access to publicly allocated spectrum and are supposed to operate in the “public interest, not some sort of narrow, partisan interest,” according to quotes carried by The Hill and Mediaite.

“I think President Trump is over the target, and we’re looking at a lot of actions,” Carr said. “For instance, there’s a lot of interest right now in fake polls that are out there and so the FCC may put guidance out soon to remind broadcasters about their obligations with respect to not air[ing] fake polls, particularly if they’re done to suppress people heading into the fall.”

Trump’s Welker threat

The comments follow Trump’s Truth Social post last week attacking Welker for saying on a D.C. affiliate tease that Trump-endorsed candidates have had “mixed results” in Republican primaries. Trump called the line a “purposeful inaccuracy,” claimed a high primary win rate, and said Welker would be “reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment,” The Hill reported. NBC News said it stands by Welker as “one of the best in the business.”

Ballotpedia figures cited by The Hill put Trump’s 2026 primary endorsement win rate around 96%, with named losses including Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, and South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette.

Regulator as speech referee

Trump has repeatedly pressed the FCC — historically an independent commission — to lean on major broadcasters in his second term. Carr has opened DEI-related inquiries into NBC and ABC hiring practices, The Hill noted. Critics call the Welker episode an intimidation play ahead of the midterms; some Republicans have also warned against using license leverage as a speech weapon. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, previously called Carr’s threats against ABC over Jimmy Kimmel “dangerous as hell,” The Hill recalled.

Carr did not name specific polls, stations, or a timeline for any guidance. Whether “fake poll” reminders become formal enforcement remains unstated — and the line between policing fraud and policing unwelcome coverage is exactly where concentrated licensing power meets the press.

Sources